Quantradyne APOD-33 dropship
|image=SC Ghost Dropship.jpg |imgsize=200px |create= |comiss= |early=2480 |last=2512 |retired= |destroy= |race=Terran |type=Airborne APC |propulsion=Twin engines |max. speed= |length= |width= |height= |armaments=*None (standard) *Air-to-ground ordinance (scrapped) *Door mounted weaponry (custom) |FTL= |faction= |job=Transport |command= |crew=1 pilot, 1 co-pilot (optional) |concattop= }} The Quantradyne APOD-33 dropship'Hickman, Tracy. ''StarCraft: Speed of Darkness. Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, May 21, 2002. ISBN 0-671-04150-9. is a terran aerospace transport. Overview ]] The Quantradyne is a heavily armored tactical transport equipped for both atmospheric and deep space flight, utilizing twin engines fed hypergolic tanks that result in plasma exhaust, said engines being capable of shifting their angles. Dropships are designed to carry anything from troops to siege tanks in both safety and speed. Landings are usually carried out conventionally—easy deployment is allowed through both aftBenjamin, Paul and Dave Shramek (w), Mel joy San Juan (p), Noel Rodriguez et al (i). "Orientation." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 4 (paperback binding), pp. 114-161. Tokyopop, October 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-81698-6. and front ramps and its base can descend from the ship.Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio, Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #7" StarCraft '''1 (7) (January 20, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). However, soldiers can also rappel down using ropes.Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5. Side doors also exist and furthermore, dropships are equipped with extraction fields and maglev linesBill Slavicsek, David Eckelberry, Shawn F. Carnes. Alternity: StarCraft Edition. Wizards of the Coast, March 1, 2000. ISBN 0-7869-1618-4. in case the terrain is too difficult to land on. Early experiments to arm dropships (including ordnance packages for an air-to-ground role)Banshee. Accessed on 2008-01-28 were abandoned in favor of maximizing payload capacity.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Still, soldiers can fire from the dropship themselves, such as from its bottom platform. Another example of getting around this was used by Captain Jack Larimer, who removed his dropship's side doors to make room for mounted weapons. Dropships possess a number of shortcomings. They are difficult to maneuver and are prone to mechanical failures and aren't exactly the most comfortable transport craft, the interior's temperatures usually uncomfortably hot, even more so during re-entry. Cooling units are installed to offset this along with air scrubbers. Restraining bars are present for the transport of passengers and overhead racks for the transport of equipment and/or belongings. The dropship's power bus is also compatible with the CMC-300 combat suit. A user can 'jack in' to the power bus and view the dropship's surroundings via a sensor system, the image being transferred to the suit's HUD. Ammunition packs and stimulant dispensers are also featured. During the Guild Wars, dropships were apparently bereft of gravity accelerators, but this was rectified by the Great War. Dropship pilots can operate alone, although a nav/comm. console is set behind the pilot's seat.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04148-9. Dropships are outfitted with a signal booster, which automatically reroutes the communications of ground forces in range through them in order to allow for better communications range. However, this process is involuntary; if the dropship's signal booster is damaged ground forces in range of the booster will be unable to use long-range communications.Zahn, Timothy (November 8, 2016). StarCraft: Evolution. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0425284735. Dropships are frequently attached to capital ships such as troopshipsDietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. and battlecruisers. History Quantradynes were designed by the Terran Confederacy and were in use by 2480.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9. The Colonial Fleet maintained high standards for its dropship pilots, the PEB (Preferred Experience Base) requiring an applicant to possess a combat pilot certification and hot-zone certification before being allowed access to a dropship.Star Fleet. Accessed on 2008-01-28 Police forces on Confederate worlds that were wealthy enough to afford them would use dropships to ferry prisoners. Waugh, James. "Perdition's Crossing (short story)." (Oct. 6, 2015). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Perdition's Crossing Accessed 2015-10-06. The Terran Dominion maintained Quantradynes until at least 2503,Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7125-1. but most were eventually converted into medivac dropships.Blizzard Entertainment Staff. 2010-07-24. Medivac. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. However, some remained in service as late as 2512.Zahn, Timothy (November 8, 2016). StarCraft: Evolution. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0425284735. Game Unit StarCraft |hp=150 |shield= |energy= |size=Large |supply=2 |costmin=100 |costgas=100 |time=50 |produced=Starport |req=Control tower (attached) |hotkey=D |groundattack= |airattack= |armor=1 |range= |sight=8 |speed=5.47 |detect= |cooldown= }} Dropships are too slow to outrun aerial hunters like s, s, and s. If destroyed any units being carried are lost as well. While it has 8 slots like the shuttle and evolved , the power of stimpacked infantry means a dropship can carry substantial firepower. Compared to its zerg and protoss counterparts (overlord and shuttle), the dropship has a faster speed than the overlord despite having a poor acceleration and is less fragile than the shuttle but slower. A fleet of dropships is often used to offload units directly on top of or near an enemy base. These "drops" are a key strategy for many terran players. Upgrades Quotations :See: StarCraft Dropship Quotations Development During the StarCraft alpha, the dropship was much larger and could carry a lot more units inside. Their unit portrait bore great resemblance to what would become the character of Jem in the final product.Renders, StarCraft Planet. Accessed on 2011-07-20 The dropship was once equipped with Vortex shock-bombs.http://home.planet.nl/%7Eaggel005/alphabeta/beta/beta50.jpg StarCraft: Ghost StarCraft: Ghost concept art depicts "assault dropships". The terrans also used the Grizzly as an (armed) transport.2006-02-09. Grizzly. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-09-06. StarCraft II The dropship used to be very similar to the StarCraft version. It has been given a healing ability, transforming it into the medivac dropship; thus, the dropship can no longer be built in StarCraft II.Cavez. 2008-03-11. Medic is out currently, heal to Dropship? Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forums. Accessed 2008-03-11. The dropship touched down to unload units,Admin. 2007-10-28. Starcraft 2 Terran Units. StarCraft 2 Info. Accessed 2008-04-05. behavior that was previously seen in the original StarCraft alpha, but not the final edition.Lord of Ascension. 2007-09-28. StarCraft Evolution. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-12-02. There was a one second delay between every dropped unit.1) Reapers are much faster for raiding. In dropping units (like Marines), there is a 1 second delay between each unit that is dropped. In that 8 seconds, to drop all 8 Marines, you can do a lot of damage with Reapers. Karune. 2008-04-07. Medic/Reaper/Medevac Compilation:Cavez/Karune. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-04-07. Blizzard was toying with the possibility of returning the dropship and making the medivac dropship an available upgrade in June 2008.2008-06-24. Fansite Q & A With Dustin Browder, p3. StarCraft Wire. Accessed on 2008-06-24. Another dropship to feature within the game is the Hercules dropship, which is used to transport thors.Destructoid - Destructoid interview: StarCraft II's Dustin Browder. Destructoid. June 29, 2009. Last accessed: June 29, 2009. Known Dropships *''Daddy's Girl'' *''Dropship 192'' *''Fanfare'' *''Fat Girl'' *''Tango Bravo 109'' *''Sleepwalker'' *''Sweetie Pie'' *''Valkyrie Vixen'' Known Dropship Pilots *Captain Julian Byrne *Captain Tegis Marz *Captain Morrow *Lieutenant Hathaway *Graham O'Brien *Wil Merrick *Black Morgan Trivia The dropship's design, pilot personality, and unit quotations are heavily modelled or borrowed from the one found in the movie Aliens. References Category:StarCraft: Ghost Terran units Category:Terran starship classes Category:Terran dropships Category:Transports